Negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, assisted by the European Commission, have finally started on the proposed EU regulation on batteries and battery waste, which is emblematic of the circular economy.
Proposed in December 2020, this regulation aims to improve the sustainability of batteries throughout their life cycle - from raw material extraction to end-of-life reuse - for the benefit of the environment and health and to create a European battery industry that fosters the EU’s strategic autonomy.
As usual, this first meeting of inter-institutional negotiations (‘trilogue’), which took place on Wednesday 20 April in the evening, allowed each institution to present its position.
The Council’s general approach, agreed on 17 March (see EUROPE 12913/13), is significantly less ambitious than the position of the European Parliament, led by Simona Bonafé (S&D, Italy) (see EUROPE 12908/12).
The timetable for implementation, collection and recycling rates, and chemicals management are the main issues that will need to be resolved in order to achieve a convergence of positions. This is in addition to the European Commission’s reservations about the dual legal basis of the internal market and the environment.
Given the complexity and technicality of the text, technical meetings will be necessary and no date has yet been set for the second trilogue. Technical meetings will start next week. “The pace will be quite intense and everyone wants to move forward quickly”, a source close to the matter said on Thursday.
It should be remembered that the ambition of the three institutions is that the text can be adopted in time to support battery production by 2024 (see EUROPE 12878/15). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)